Coca-Cola tests Nissan's electric van in Japan

Nissan already commands a leading position in zero-emission passenger cars with the Nissan LEAF. Now the technology is being extended into commercial vehicles.

The latest company to test a prototype of the e-NV200 is Coca-Cola Central Japan Co., Ltd. The van combines the innovative powertrain of the Nissan LEAF with the practical NV200 vehicle base.

It delivers not just zero emissions, but also superior acceleration and quietness.

“Our aim from this trial is not just to reduce the CO2 we are responsible for,” said Yukihiko Nakamura from Coca-Cola Japan.

“After the earthquake in Northern Japan there is a big demand in society for what is called ‘peak shift.’ That is to reduce the consumption of electricity during the day time. We wanted to investigate the challenges we face when we try to achieve these two goals. By borrowing Nissan’s prototype EV we can examine it in detail.”

Coca-Cola deployed the van as a regional sales vehicle, and recharge it only at night when electricity consumption is low.

The trial is to determine whether a single nightly charge is sufficient to meet user needs during the day.

“Many customers have a plan, or a commitment, for the environment,” said Hideyuki Tateno, Nissan’s deputy chief vehicle engineer on the project.

“This vehicle will make it real to reduce CO2. I am confident that in the future this electric van will be running around the world.”

Comments

Submitted by Wave (not verified) on Sat, 2013-01-26 02:41.

From this car we can see Nissan has changed a lot. The old Nissan cars are awalys ugly especially look from the rear. However, this car is cool! I think Nissan will develop more cool cars in the future!